Cholera outbreak in the Central African Republic

Fears of a cholera outbreak have been confirmed in the Central African Republic.

This follows the announcement made by the country’s Health Minister who said the disease has already claimed the lives of at least 10 people.

In his statement, he said that the government has put all the necessary measures and urged the population to practice proper hygiene in a bid to contain the epidemic.

Since the beginning of this month, a total of 19 cases of the disease had already been reported.

The affected areas include the Djoukou region on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ombella M’Poko and the capital Bangui where a case was detected on Tuesday.

The last cholera outbreak in the central African nation dates back to 2011, when at least 19 people lost their lives.

Cholera has a short incubation period and produces a toxin that causes continuous watery diarrhoea, a condition that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not administered promptly.